Dallas coach: 'Very good game from our end'

Here's some of what FC Dallas had to say tonight after their 1-1 home draw with the Sounders:

FC Dallas head coach Oscar ParejaOpening thoughts on the game...It was a very good game from our end. I think it was one of the best ones of the season in terms of the energy, the discipline and the urgency that we had for many sequences of the game. The series is open - it's the first 90 and it's a tie. We'll go to Seattle and try to see what we can do.In the first half we dominated and the second half I think it was the same. I didn't remember too many parts of the game where we struggled in the back. We did very well and we've always had the initiative to create and go up front. That's something that we've preached all year; to have a team that always has that initiative to go and attack. Even though we're a team in transition in many parts of the season, this was one of those games where we moved the ball pretty well. I'm impressed with what this group of players showed - they showed today, nationally, that we're not just a playoff team, but a team that can play against anyone.

Goalkeeper Choice...Part of our philosophy is to try to create a sense of inclusion. I think that with Chris and Raul, it has been very balanced. Both of them have had a very good season and stepping up when it was needed. Tonight it was Raul.

On missing Mauro Diaz tonight...It's hard to say how a game would have turned out with a different person. What I have to say is that the players that were on the field today did a great job. The way I read it and the way I see it, I thought that the people that were on the field today were the right ones. For some reason during the season it happened many times that there was an injury or a suspension, but this team is not afraid to play anyone. We have a sense of inclusion here, we're part of this program.

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Could it have been different with Mauro? It could have always been different when you have that talent there by him, but I don't think too much about that. I don't think about what I don't have. Tonight we had this group of players and they did an excellent job. Now we have Mauro back and we'll see how we prepare for the next one.

Do you feel like you're going to Seattle with nothing to lose?We always want a win. We always teach and preach to this group of players that we're not less than anyone here. I have heard many times that Seattle is the best team in the league and they have achieved two trophies this year and that's the club that everyone is expecting to win it, but we'll see. Not that we can't do it - I know that we can do it. This group of players can do it. In that locker room believe in that - maybe in the league they think differently, but we'll be ready for the next game on Monday. We showed today that it's a challenge for them also to face FC Dallas.

Player injuries...That tells me that this group is learning that in this game it's very unusual to play without pain. It's normal - today I had four players who came out to the field with some sort of pain. The youngsters need to understand that at the professional level you normally play with pain. Victor [Ulloa] was close to not playing this game, but he came through and he played one of his best games. He showed himself that pro level is different.

FC Dallas defender Zach LoydOn the penalty awarded to FC Dallas…I saw Andres [Escobar] make a very good move, one-on-one on the flank. He gave Seattle problems all night long. He is really quick and crafty in the box. From my view 60-yards back, leaving your feet in the box is dangerous. Anytime you leave your feet in the box you always have the risk of conceding a penalty. The referee decided it was a penalty and Michel did a very good job taking it. Michel is money from the spot. He is solid. He has not missed one penalty this year.

What approach the team needs to take into the next game in Seattle…I don’t think we need to do anything different. We came out and played very well. We created a lot of chances. For a majority of the game, we dictated the flow and put a lot of pressure on them. It is unfortunate that we didn’t come away with a better result. With that mentality and work rate going into Seattle, we can come away with a victory.

FC Dallas defender Moises HernandezOverall thoughts on the game…It was a very tough game and it was not easy at all…We did well and we created our chances. We feel good and we have not lost in the playoffs. We are going to go to Seattle with a lot of confidence.

On going to Seattle to play the second leg…We did well today, we’re going to go to Seattle and do the same thing we did today. We’re going to put a lot of pressure on Seattle, eventually the goals are going to come. We have to keep it at zero in the back. If we keep it to zero our attack is going to score goals. We are going to go into Seattle very confident.

Overall thoughts about Seattle’s attacking front…We did well today even though we gave up a goal. We had a tight mark on [Obafemi] Martins, on [Clint] Dempsey… All of Seattle’s attacking players. We’re going to do the same thing at Seattle, but do it even better.

FC Dallas defender Matt HedgesOn his goal line clearance at the end of the first half…He stopped the first shot but he needed some help. Fortunately, I was there to help him out.

Did you think Seattle bunkered in after they got their goal?A little bit. They were taking a little more time on their throw-ins and goal kicks. They were still playing though. You could tell [Clint] Dempsey and [Obafemi] Martins were trying to get another goal on the counter attack. So they weren’t sitting in too much… It was just that when they got the chance to let the clock run a little bit, they were going to take advantage of it.

On holding Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins in check…They have a good connection so we knew that when one of them gets the ball, they are immediately looking for the other one. Keeping that in mind made us pretty successful. They’re looking to play together all the time, so we just tried to take that away from them.

On playing in Seattle…We went there last time and we were winning by a goal. It took two late goals by them to beat us but that shows that we can definitely play there and get a result there.

Is the pressure back on Seattle because they are the No. 1 seed?They got their away goal. That was big for them but I think we can go there and score goals. We showed that we can score goals everywhere this season. We can do it again.

On giving up a goal to Seattle at home…The most frustrating part was that we held [Clint] Dempsey and [Obafemi] Martins in check but gave up a set piece goal to Osvaldo Alonso. After tonight’s result, I expect more of the same game in Seattle. It’s going to be a close game, a physical game, like it was tonight. Both teams will possess the ball for stretches and attack one another. It’s what everyone wants to see and it’s probably what will end up happening.

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